Blog

B.C. Salmon Inquiry

This year’s stunningly low sockeye run defied expectations and baffled scientists who could not find the cause. I’ve blogged about the missing salmon here and here. In August, Stephen Hume penned an article calling for both political and civic action. Now, the government has announced a judicial inquiry in the hopes of averting a collapse of the fishery.

British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen has been appointed to head a sweeping judicial inquiry into the collapse of the most important salmon run on the West Coast.

Justice Cohen will investigate “the causes for the decline of Fraser River sockeye salmon including, but not limited to, the impact of environmental conditions, aquaculture, predators, diseases, water temperature and other factors that may have affected the ability of sockeye salmon to reach traditional spawning grounds or reach the ocean.” [read full article]